In Important Pasta-Related News, Spaghetti Bolognese Does Not Exist

Virginio Merola, the mayor of the Italian city, took to Twitter to announce he was collecting photos of "fake news" spaghetti bolognese from around the world, including a photo of a menu from a London restaurant as an example.

"What we'd prefer the world to know is that Bologna invented tagliatelle, tortellini and lasagne."

Credit: RitaE/Pixabay

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According to the Telegraph, Merola is keen to raise awareness of the fact that the tasty dish has no links with his city of Bologna.

He told the newspaper: "It is strange to be famous all over the world for a dish that isn't ours.

"Of course we are happy that it draws attention to our city, but we would prefer to be known for the quality food that is part of our culinary tradition."

Credit: Ben_Kerckx/Pixabay

With the photos that other Twitter users send to him, Merola plans to create an exhibit for FICO Eataly World.

Based in Bologna, the 100,000 square metre food park is the largest in the world.

So far, the mayor has quite an eclectic selection of pictures to add to his collection, including a spaghetti bolognese ready meal from Chile, a jar of Heinz sauce from Ocado in the UK and a Knorr spaghetti bolognese mix from Austria.

If you're visiting Bologna and want to avoid a foodie faux pas, make sure not to ask for spaghetti bolognese in any restaurants.

Instead, ask for tagliatelle al ragu, which is similar to spaghetti bolognese, although the pasta is flatter and wider, and is covered in a slow-cooked, chunky meat sauce of which tomatoes, red wine and onions are important ingredients.